The BLOG at True Love Church of Refuge

It is amazing to me how many people confess they believe in God but when it comes down to action they get frustrated with other people instead of themselves. I must admit that I am a guilty party. For the past 3 years fear, failure, and procrastination has been holding me hostage. I have been through several deliverance sessions and those three things do not seem to go away. But what about you? Are you really trusting God or are you trusting something else? Someone told me that they are miserable at their job but they can’t go out and look for nothing else and take a pay cut because they were the main bread winner and their spouse is not bringing anything to the table and they are behind on everything. So again I ask where is the faith? The same God that provides when only one income is coming in won’t he do it if you really trust him? He is the same God that multiplied two fish and five loaves of bread and he will take your little and multiply it for you but do what is right with your seed and then your harvest will be plentiful.

Life is adventure. The judgement Throne of Christ is awaiting at the End. He has given His Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. The enemy schemes around the clock on plots to weaken our resolve as Spirit filled believers, and plots to keep unbelievers far from seeking God.

The enemy plots to keep church goers as Sunday Christians. Some even think that they can live worldly lifestyles and enjoy all the pleasures of sin, but never deal with the consequence of sin….cuz they went to Church and threw a $20 in the offering bucket.

But alas, there are real heroes of the faith!! Those watchmen who come against demonic powers, those that have submitted fully to JESUS Christ, those that have true anointing, those that have forsaken this world. It is these, who live not of this world, that will have huge smiles on their face come judgement day.

The road to get to the judgement seat of Christ will be a battle every few steps of the way. Battle well, my fellow warriors. Seeing Father smile on His Throne, as Jesus confesses us, will be….(please comment to fill in the blank)

LightOfUniverse.com

Identify some evil. Research it. Put satan on blast. Here’s a hint; even if it seems good, if it’s not stemming from the Word of God, it’s probably evil in nature. We as God’s people should be eradicating it from the face of the Earth, in my own humble opinion. Faith shields up, Spirit swords drawn, and steadily pressing. Disable all traditions. Start afresh. Anyone else want to turn the ENTIRE WORLD upside down to the Glory of God? 7 billion + worshipping Jesus from dawn til dusk? Then again from dusk til dawn? Anyone WANT that bad enough to upturn everything? To fight for it? Like Joshua led Children of Israel? Or is status quo okay, just whatever happens happens? LightofUniverse.com

Sometimes you gotta deal with your past before you can move into your future! Lock all doors, and throw away the key, delete all contact, change your number, get free in your mind, get deliverance from all ungodly soul ties, and ask God to return to you the fragments of your heart that you willingly gave away! Because what God has given you, you can’t afford to lose it !!!!

It’s truly a blessing as we hear the story of those three women who were held captive for so long be set free. As I listened to the News this morning Titled Breaking Free. These Women were set free from those who had them captive, as Mothers day approaches what a blessing to be reunited with their Families! My Prayer is that Every child/adult missing will be found. I pray that those things that have held you down, as you look at your situations wondering if there is any hope, that you shall be set FREE in the name of Jesus!!

Break Every Chain

Jesus stepped on satan’s serpent head when He rose from the Tomb. We that follow Him have that same power living within us. We are a POWERFUL people, we that walk in Holiness ( this doesn’t apply to those that just go to Church on Sundays because your family raised u that way. God will not be mocked). Let us remain humble, and display this power to all the world, that our God be glorified. We exalt thee, Jesus.  - Terrell Potts

Attention Men: God has placed on my heart to start a call for MEN only that have struggled or maybe currently struggling with sexual sins. This will be a confidential call for MEN only call “No Longer Ashamed” Please inbox me donaldslea@gmail.com if this is something you would like to be a part of. We are looking to launch later this month or early June. We also are looking for Men to help with the planning phase. We all are important and no one is greater than another. Together we as MEN can overcome if we are willing. Pastor DLea (via DLea Ministries)

We often magnify things we deal with when often God allows us to go through just so he can get the glory.  Don’t get me wrong there are somethings we bring on our self and God is sitting back watching us as we make those decisions and he already knows what decision we are going to make before we make it good or bad.  The Apostle Paulwrote to the Roman church in Romans 8:38-39 that during our suffering that nothing shall separate us from the love of God.  I believe we actually separate our-self from God and that is when the problems arise.  God is a loving and forgiving God but we must remember that he is God and we are just his vessels.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10 speaks of Apostle Paul thorn in his flesh.  Regardless of your position,title,degree or etc if you are honest with God you will admit that you have a thorn as well.  In life it is easy to put on a mask and pretend that we all have it together when in actuality we are all weak but it is God that makes us strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).  The Apostle Paul didn’t get angry at his thorn and the way it slowed him down.  Paul understood the weaker he was the stronger God was in his life.  Now this does not give us a free pass to go and sin willingly.  We must be aware that in our weakness God is strong.  I am going to give you several points from The Maxwell Leadership Bible that I feel will bless you.

 

Repentance to me is a gift! It takes a strong individual to repent and face whatever mess that “self” created! A coward throws a rock and hides their hand. Strength is created, not duplicated!

David was aware he could defeat the giant (Goalith) David could not defeat the giant of Bathsheba. David won many battles and wars but just could not seem to overcome that particular sin. How many times do WE as humans master 1 thing great and get the big head and fail in another area(s). Yes God Loves us and Yes God will forgive us but we must recognize that without him we can’t have total VICTORY. Partial VICTORY is temporary but total VICTORY is forever- Pastor DLea

Fasting
The focus of fasting should not be on the lack of food.
Fasting from food can be done for a variety of purposes, either physical or spiritual. So abstaining from food alone doesn’t constitute a Christian fast. Instead, a Christian fast is accompanied by a special focus on prayer during the fast, often substituting the time you’d spend eating with prayer.

Fasting provides a real-life illustration of dependency.
Although modern man thrives on the idea of being independent, beholden to no one, fasting helps you put the facts in the proper perspective. It’s easy to believe in your independence with a full stomach, but when you start to feel hunger pains in your belly after missing a meal or two, you awaken to your body’s dependency on food to survive. Fasting reveals a physical reliance on food that points to the ultimate dependency – the fact that you’re dependent on God for things far more important than food.

Fasting fosters concentration on God and his will.
Oswald Chambers once said that fasting means “concentration,” because when you’re fasting, you have a heightened sense of attentiveness. Food or any physical sensation can satisfy, fill you up, and dull your senses and spiritual ears. In contrast, a hungry stomach makes you more aware and alert to what God is trying to say to you.

Fasting offers a way to impose self-control in your life.
It gives you a “splash in the face” to awaken you to the need for the personal strength of will that you need to grow spiritually. When you restrain yourself physically, you’ll find it easier to apply this same self-discipline in your spiritual life.

One last thing – everyone can participate. Not everyone may be able to fast from food (pregnant women and diabetics for example), but everyone can give up something in order to focus on God (e.g. unplugging the television for 24 hours could also be an effective way of joining the fast)!

Source: Richard Wagner, Christianity for Dummies.

At some point we’ve all questioned why we’re alive. Whether you or someone you know is struggling to find their life mission, here are five specific purposes for which God created us.

Everyone in your congregation wants to know if life really matters. Members, visitors, even your staff want to know:

What on earth am I here for?

Essentially, they’re asking three basic questions. First, there’s the question of existence: Why am I alive? For thousands of years people have asked this question. Many people of the Bible did. Jeremiah asked: “Why was I born? Was it only to have trouble and sorrow, to end my life in disgrace?” (20:18, GNT).

Second, there’s the question of significance: Is there some meaning and purpose to my life? Is all that I’m doing just a waste of time and energy? Is my life significant?

In Psalm 89, David remembers how short his life—and every human life—is and asks God: “Why did You create us? For nothing?” (see v. 47).

Job also asked the question, “Why should I work so hard for nothing?” (see Job 9:29). In other words, if there’s no meaning and purpose, why am I even doing this?

Solomon, in all his wisdom, questioned the significance of pleasure. In Ecclesiastes 2:2, he says: “Laughing and having fun is crazy. What good does it do?” (CEV). We all want to know: “Is there any significance to what I do? Why keep going?” Without meaning, life is petty, trivial and pointless.

Third, there’s the question of intention. Is there a purpose for my life? Isaiah said this: “My work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose” (49:4, NLT).

The British philosopher, Bertrand Russell, who described himself as an atheist, said, “Unless you assume a God, the question of the purpose of life is meaningless.” In other words, if there is no God, there is no grand scheme or significance to anything. If there is no God, your birth was an accident. You simply represent a random chance. If there is no God, there is no right or wrong and no heaven or hell.

This is why it is so important for us to teach our people that God made each one of us for a purpose. They need to know that nothing matters more than knowing God’s purpose for their lives, and nothing can compensate for not knowing it—not success, wealth, fame or pleasure.

We need to teach that without purpose life is motion without meaning, activity without direction and events without reason—yet underscore that it is never too late for any of us to discover our God-ordained purpose. People need to understand God makes everything with a purpose. Every plant has a purpose; every animal has a purpose.

Our people need to grasp the same truth about their lives. We should teach them: “If you are alive, it means God has a purpose for your life.”

The New Testament teaches that God created each of us for five purposes. These are explained by Jesus in the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:35-40) and the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19), were demonstrated by the early church in Acts 2, explained by Paul in Ephesians 4, and prayed about by Jesus in John 17. Here they are, briefly summarized:

1) Planned for God’s Pleasure

The first purpose of your life is this: You were planned for God’s pleasure. I think the two words that best describe the Christian life are love affair. God wants you to know Him and to love Him. Everything else is secondary to that purpose.

There is a word for how we express love to God: It’s called worship. Worship is both expressing love to God and living a life that’s pleasing to Him.

You know, there’s a big myth in Christianity. In the minds of most Christians the word worship is a synonym for “music.” We say things like, “Well, I liked the message, but I really liked the worship”—as if the message wasn’t worship.

Worship is more than music. It is everything you do that brings pleasure to God or glorifies Him. Your whole life is to be a life of worship.

2) Formed for God’s Family

Just as worship brings God pleasure because He wants us to love Him, fellowship with other believers brings God pleasure because we’re formed for God’s family.

One of the most misunderstood ideas about the Christian life is that it’s just a matter of believing. But God says: “No, you’re not just ‘believers’; you’re also ‘belongers.’”

You belong in the family of God.

Did you know that the term one another is used 58 times in the New Testament? Love one another, care for one another, pray for one another, exhort one another, encourage one another, greet one another, and on and on and on. God wants you to care for other people. That’s called fellowship. Enjoying God’s family is called fellowship. It’s the second purpose for your life.

3) Created to Be Like Christ

You were planned for God’s pleasure (worship), and you were formed for God’s family (fellowship).

Here’s the third reason God made you: You were created to be like Christ. It’s called discipleship. God made you in order to transform you into a likeness of His son, Jesus Christ. God is far more interested in what you are than what you do. He’s far more interested in your “being” than in your “doing.”

A lot of people ask, “What is God’s will for my life in my job or my career?” Know what? You probably could have two dozen different careers and God would think that’s fine. He is more interested in your character, and I’ll tell you why: You are not taking your career with you when you die; but you are taking your character into eternity.

There is no problem you have that you can’t grow from if you’ll learn the right response for it. If you respond to it the way God wants you to, then you become like Jesus. This is God’s third purpose for your life.

4) Shaped for Service

The fourth purpose is this: You were shaped for service. God made you to serve Him. You’re planned for God’s pleasure; that’s worship. You’re formed for a family; that’s fellowship. You’re created to be like Christ; that’s discipleship. And you’re shaped for service; that’s called ministry.

Every Christian is created to serve—called to ministry, created for ministry, saved for ministry and gifted for ministry. The Bible makes it very clear that every Christian is a minister (see 2 Cor. 5:17-19). Not every Christian is a pastor, but every Christian is a minister because to be Christ-like is to be a minister. You can’t be like Jesus Christ without serving others.

What is ministry? It is any way you use the abilities God has given you to help someone else in Jesus’ name. God uniquely wired you in a certain way for a purpose. God gave you your abilities—not for your benefit, but to use to bless other people.

5) Made for a Mission

The fifth reason you were put on this earth is that you were made for a mission. The apostle Paul was extremely passionate about this particular purpose. He says in Acts 20:24, “I only want to complete my mission and finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do” (GNT). And what did he say that work was? To tell people the good news about God’s grace.

Fulfilling your mission in the world—there’s a word for that in the Bible. It’s called evangelism. And it is the fifth purpose God has for your life.

My dad was a man on a mission. He was a pastor for 50 years, but a few years ago he died of cancer. The last week of his life he was delusional, very frail and had lost all this weight from cancer. One night he became agitated and tried to get out of bed.

My wife, Kay, said: “Jimmy, you can’t get out of bed. Lie back down, you’re very weak. You’re dying.”

But he tried again to get out of bed, and my wife said again, “No, please, lie back down in the bed.” She forced him back down in the bed and then asked him, “What is it you need?”

He said: “Gotta save one more for Jesus. Gotta save one more for Jesus. Gotta save one more for Jesus.” He said this over and over and in the next hour must have repeated it 100 times. “Gotta save one more for Jesus.”

As I sat there by his bedside, I put my head down, praying, and tears were running down my cheeks. My dad reached up and put his hand on my head—as if he were blessing me—and said: “Save one more for Jesus. Save one more for Jesus.”

I intend for that to be the theme of the rest of my life. And I invite you to make it the theme of your life. You were made for a mission.

The Bible says that David “served God’s purpose in his own generation” (Acts 13:36, NIV). I can’t think of a better epitaph. That’s what I want said about my life—that when I die people will say of me, “He served God’s purpose in his generation.”

And that’s what I want people to say about you. In this article I’ve shared from God’s Word what it means to live a life of purpose, a purpose-driven life. What are you going to do about it?

Rick Warren is a global strategist, philanthropist, pastor and author. His book, The Purpose Driven Life, is the best-selling hardback in American history. In 1980, Warren founded Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.

5 Prayers God Always Answers by Joel Hunter

How is a guy supposed to pray? These five prayers are simple, and they always get results!

Prayer is tough for men. We like to have the answers before we talk, even to God. We are not much for “processing out loud” like our female counterparts. And we don’t like to get turned down, discovering that what we were asking for was not in the will of God. It’s not that we get mad at God, but we think, How could we not have known that?

On the other (folded) hand, we don’t want a wimpy prayer life that is so general we can’t tell whether it was God who answered, or it was just a good bet on our parts. Safe prayers are like bikes with training wheels: We think we are being grown-up in our faith, when we are really immature.

Immature faith doesn’t want to risk a fall so it only prays prayers that (in the flesh) have a good chance of success without God’s intervention. Success may even rest on some human device.

But grown-up faith trusts fully in God. It “goes for it” in prayers. If God doesn’t choose to answer in the way we were expecting, yes, we crash and get hurt. But at least we know we didn’t fake it, just pretending we were trusting.

So how is a guy to pray? One solution is to pray to-the-point prayers that we know God will answer in His own way. Here are five prayers that God always answers:

1:”Lord, get me out of this temptation!” Believe it or not, when we earnestly pray this prayer, we have to climb over God’s impediments to sin!

Not only does He promise a way out (see 1 Cor. 10:13), He also gives us disincentives.

When I first entered the ministry, I was still smoking cigarettes. It was a nasty habit left over from college, and I wanted God to take it away.

I prayed for help. I then stopped to buy a pack, miles away from the church, and the attendant recognized me: “Say, aren’t you a minister?” I bought them anyhow, lit up in the car as I had a 100 times before and dropped the ash in my lap.

Swerving, I pulled over. A young man in my youth group came up to the car and wanted a ride to the church.

We may decide to overcome God’s way out, but we will be both miserable and pitiful at the same time.

2: “Lord, amaze me with a glimpse of the supernatural.” As shallow as this sounds, this isn’t the same as a generation always looking for signs.

This prayer is a request to see God’s hand in our lives and appreciate His nearness. He loves to reveal Himself above all rational explanation, but we do not usually ask or look.

My friend Vernon loves to tell the good news to people at God’s opportunity. Recently, his heart was quickened to pray for opportunities only God could arrange.

Soon he was invited to emcee a totally secular convention in Europe and challenged to “somehow work in the gospel.” When he got home, someone who swore he never wanted to hear the good news asked Vernon questions about Jesus Christ.

We ask for healing in the face of illness, rescue in the face of danger and miracles in the midst of hopelessness. Why do we not ask for glimpses of His supernatural presence every day? Isn’t He “Immanuel…God with us?” (See Matt. 1:23.)

3:”Lord, show me better ways to love and serve.” Most guys are bored with their own routines and are frustrated with their own lack of creativity. Why not ask God to break you out of your rut?

A word of caution: If you pray this prayer, you will discover that people are yelling at you for a reason. It is God’s ventriloquism trying to get you to see a new perspective.

Eddie has a ministry to professionals and is very efficient. He felt convicted, though, that he might not be really compassionate. He prayed a version of this prayer and got his answer soon…in traffic!

Instead of a competitive response to a rude driver, it occurred to him to pray for the hostile driver. Then he decided to let others into the lane as a way to serve and began praying for them. He now has a ministry on the highway.

If you can customize your service to people (that’s what God did in Jesus), you will find new ways to serve.

4: “Lord, use me for Your purpose in this situation.” The great adequacy of God is that He can use us when we do not know what to say or do or even think! Many times we are reluctant to enter into a potential place of ministry because we think we surely would mess it up.

Herb was an introvert. He dreaded going to the funeral home and speaking to his friend’s widow. He knew anything that came out of his mouth would sound trite and stupid.

He rehearsed, “You have my sympathies,” but when he got in front of the widow, all he could do was break down in tears and hug her.

Years later, I asked a young widow what was the most helpful thing that was said to her during her husband’s funeral. She replied: “I don’t remember many of the words, only the hugs. Those were God’s arms for me.”

We think people need a professional, rather than an available Christian. Well, unless we are talking about medical care, we couldn’t be more wrong. Second Corinthians 3:5-6 is a reminder to pray (“…our adequacy is from God”) before we act!

5: “Lord, glorify Your name.” There are many times when I have no idea what God wants me to pray. I can see the good and bad in each alternative.

There was an old man that I had loved dearly. His wife had gone to be with the Lord. He was tired of living without her, even though he was still a great blessing to any who knew him.

He had suffered a massive stroke. I could pray for healing on this side of the curtain or perfection on the other side. What should I pray?

I remembered what Jesus prayed facing death, so I figured it was still a pretty solid prayer. To this day, I use it when I don’t know what else to pray: “Father, glorify Your name.” He always does.

Joel Hunter has been the senior pastor of an innovative, nondenominational church in Florida (northlandcc.org). While he was a United Methodist pastor in Indiana, he was continually awakened in the middle of the night in response to a small group of women praying in Florida that God would disturb the heart of the pastor who was supposed to come to them. He did.

What is the essence of Christmas?

by Kaego

 

 Matthew 1 vs. 21: And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from the sins

 

What is the significance of Christmas?

Jesus is the essence of Christmas, as a matter of fact, the word Christmas is a derivation of the word ‘Christ’. If we are celebrating Christmas, it is therefore important to know and believe in the person after whom the day was named.

 

As shown in the biblical passage above, Jesus Christ came on a salvage mission, to save mankind from their sins. Christmas should therefore be a time for repentance for those who have not accepted God’s plan of salvation for mankind, and a time for sober reflection and rededication for those all those that have accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Jesus was born about years over 2000 years ago to save you from your sins. The   good news is that his salvation programme did not end over 2000 years ago. He is still alive ready to save you from your sins. God has given a grace of over 2000 years for anyone willing to be saved to come unto him. As Christmas rolls in, it should be a time of remembrance of Gods plan of salvation.

 

If you do not have Christ in your life, then you be celebrating Christmas without the presence of the Celebrant in your life.

The essence of Christmas is therefore to accept Christ, the celebrant into your life and invite him to dine with you for the rest of your life. The good news is that there is a greater Christmas in heaven, a Christmas whose celebration do not end in a day. Only the redeemed can participate in this everlasting Christmas.

To register your name as a redeemed, repent of your sins, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord, and live a life of complete holiness. Make this confession:

 

Jesus Christ, I welcome you to my life as this Christmas, I accept Gods plan of salvation through you and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Come into me and rule me. In Jesus name I pray. (Amen).

 

A lot of people miss a move of God in their life because they are looking for a certain word to come from a certain person’s mouth and they miss what God wants to do in their life. Just because that person doesn’t have a title or just because that person is not where they are supposed to be in God doesn’t mean that God isn’t talking to them. God can use whomever He chooses. God may not choose to speak to that prophet or that person that you want to come to you and give you a word. He may be wanting to use the person that’s sitting in the back or that person that people are always counting out. The Lord may test certain people without them knowing it and it will be their fault of they miss out on God.